Help size Power Supply

[marcplante]

System

- MSI 7125 MoBo
- AMD Athlon 64 x2 3800+ (939)
- 2 1G sticks of Kensington SD RAM (PC3200)
- MSI - NVidia 6600GT vid card (upgrading to MSI 8800GT)
- 1 7200 RPM 3.5" Seagate HD
- DVD-RW drive

* Possible addition of another SATA HD as my storage needs grow


My current Coolermaster 450W PSU (Real Power line) seems to be overloading.

The processor update is recent from an AMD Athlon64 3000+

Also upgraded to a 24" monitor running at 1900x1200

Basic PSU sizing tools seem to indicate I'm OK for now. Maybe a defective PSU? I've emailed Coolermaster Support to get their prognosis as the unit is in warranty.

ZipZoomFly has a coolermaster 600W unit for sale for $36 delivered AR.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...&prodlist=pricegrabber

Would this be enough? or do I need to go bigger?

TIA

 

[Zap]

Your current PSU should be able to handle that system with the 6600GT, but not sure about 8800GT. It probably can if the Cooler Master can really put out that much power at 50ºC.

What's the problems you're having?

 

[marcplante]

Every once in a while it will power down, leaving the power light on my coolermaster centurion case blinking slowly. If I unplug the unit and turn the main power off it will reset after three or so mins.

Otherwise, machine seems to run fine though I'll get erratic processor activity, with applications seeming to occasionally run slower than I'd expect with an X2 proc, including my cursor stuttering and not responding quickly (Logitech MX Revolution).

Thanks,

Marc

 

[DrMrLordX]

Are there any specific conditions that cause the system to power down?

 

[marcplante]

typically games that get the pixels on the 1900x1200 monitor humming, specifically BZflag and a driving sim, both of which are fairly pixel intensive, though the Vid card isn't working as hard as they do in a HL2/Doom type app.

At first I thought it was the card.

 

[imported_Scoop]

You never know what causes this stuff to happen, it might be that your motherboard isn't functioning properly or your RAM failing. I wouldn't go for that CM power supply unless you have a thing for CM. Any one of the Seasonic S12II series or Corsair VX series is better quality and has enough power to carry that system.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Okay, that's a reasonable assumption.

First thing I'd look at is case temperature . . . if the PSU is getting too hot it may be having trouble dealing with the load your system is applying, especially if it's a faulty unit. Coolermaster's input here should be helpful, especially since it's under warranty.

If your case temp and/or PSU temp is too high, you might be able to rectify the situation with better case airflow, at least as a short-term solution. If your temps are normal then I'd definitely finger the PSU as being bad and look into returning it. Upgrading to a beefier PSU wouldn't hurt either, especially if it's one from the same line, but it'd be a shame to blow a few bucks on a new PSU when your unit should suffice.

 

[marcplante]

stooopid question. Is there a way in XP to monitor temps without going into BIOS? or do I need to install a tool?

I have my fan thermostats set at lowest available temps in BIOS, and I don't hear fans going into overtime. Only time I hear the vid card fan really working is on startup. Otherwise it's running low

I'm on my 2nd MoBo as the first one failed.

 

[marcplante]

OK, I googled and tracked down a copy of speedfan. I'll install this evening and keep an eye on things.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Good plan. Also, some other rudimentary stability testing (3dmark06, memtest86, prime95/orthos) might be helpful too.

 

[marcplante]

Ran Speedfan last night and put the machine through some paces. The only hotspots that emerged were the Video card and the CPU, both of which got into the low 60s, though they cooled down quickly when I backed off. Thinking maybe I need a bigger fan on the CPU since i simply moved over the fan that came with the Athlon64 3000+ to an x2 3800+

Also getting a new Video Card (Maybe, from Dell, though that's another thread in hot deals). I'm assuming that will cool better.

General case temps are running in the low to mid 40s, tops. Everything showing up green checks on the SW. I'll try running some RAM testing to see if there's an issue there, though the problems started after the the CPU upgrade.

Marc

 

[amdfansftw]

look into a zalman hsf they are really good and aren't a bad price. your cpu is probably either pulling too much power from the psu or it's getting too hot at certain times and shutting down. i would lean more towards the psu though. get the zalman regardless or just any hsf with some copper it will be better than the stock one you have.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Actually I wouldn't recommend a Zalman HSF as a replacement, per se, though that may be more my personal bias than anything else (like Scoop I like the 450VX). Who knows, maybe there are some decent Zalman units in his price range. Nevertheless, temps of 40c or higher in the PSU could reduce it's stability or reduce its effective maximum output, though 50c or higher is usually the point when PSUs of poor quality begin to struggle.

marcplante, I'd recommend finishing your stability testing and see if any problems crop up there.

 

[marcplante]

did memory testing and didn't see any problems after running three full cycles. I did get a coolermaster HSF for $2 AR from newegg which has dropped my CPU temps down to the upper 20s when idle and I haven't seen temps north of 40 for the CPU. GPU (6600GT) is still running a bit hot 50C when idle, up to 60 when working games, but it's slated for replacement if Dell ever ships those 8800gt cards.

Haven't had a crash since putting in the HSF, though I also haven't had a good, long session on the driving sim which would tax it. I'll probably move on to prime95 as a general stress tester.

overall the HSF was a great $2 enhancement. Thanks for the pointer, DrMrLordX